LAKE Zone and Kigoma Regions plans a new Tourism Fair and Investment Forum in Mwanza City to expose tourism opportunities found in the area so as to attract foreign and internal tourists to visit attractions found there.
Speaking to Regions Administrative Secretaries (RAS) from Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions in Mwanza City over the weekend, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof Adolf Mkenda emphasized on the need to speed up the process of establishing tourism and investment fair in the region.
He said that the agreement made early December this year to plan strategies and enable the envisioned Tourism Fair and Investment Forum to take place so as to expose some tourism attractions and opportunities found in Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions they made agreement to speed up the process in order to present the idea to the regional commissioners and ministers for implementation.
Prof Mkenda said that tourism is a sector which contributes a lot of money into the national coffer through the national parks, game reserves and forest reserves which are also found in the Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions but until now about 80 per cent of tourists visit in northern part of Tanzania to observe Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Manyara, Tarangire since places were exposed long time ago.
He said that the Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions can make good tourism attractions since there are number of natural attractions found like presence of national parks and forest reserves mentioning Sanane Island, Ibanda, Kyerwa, Burigi, Lubondo, Lake Victoria and Kijereshi which have variety of wild animals, birds, snakes, crocodiles and other attracting creatures.
“From now there is a good communication network in this area like a large Mwanza Airport, good road transport and marine transport what is needed is to announce these opportunities so that they become well known, this will open investment from the private sector to devote to do business,” said Prof Mkenda.
He added that for the country to succeed in tourism sector there is a need to open other areas which were not known previously while having a lot of tourism attractions and Lake Zone is a unique area so the government has a role to play to encourage private sectors to join so as to speed up the process.
Mwanza Region Administrative Secretary Mr Christopher Kadia who was a Chairperson of the meeting said that their aim was to work hard to ensure the tourism sector is able to stand in Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions to enable the nation to collect a lot of revenue.
He said that what is supposed to be done was to open new tourism opportunities by embarking on a big campaign to expose the area to the wide audience through tourism fair and Investment Forum.
Tourist Officer Mr Wilfred Msemo said that their plan to hold Tourism Fair and Investment Forum in Lake Zone and Kigoma Regions was a good step since the move will attract and promote the tourism sector in the nation while many investors will come in a big number to make an investment.
